Tenants and employees honoured at RBH awards

RBH VIP Award winners

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) members, tenants, and employees had their commitment and community spirit celebrated at the annual RBH Values in Practice (VIP) awards. The awards were held on Wednesday 26 June 2019, a date chosen to mark the sixth birthday of RBH as a mutual housing society.

The VIP Annual Awards night, held for the second year running at Rochdale Rugby Club, is a chance for RBH to officially say ‘thank you’ to some of the many people who reflect their values through making a real difference to neighbours, colleagues, and local communities.

Over 80 nominations were received, reflecting the hard work of community volunteers and employees in Heywood, Middleton, Rochdale, and the Pennines area.

The tough decisions on the shortlist and the overall winners were left in the capable hands of an awards panel of RBH tenant and employee members. After much deliberation they agreed on the following winners:

• Best newcomer: Nicola O’Neill
• Community volunteer: Nichola Helliwell
• Constant contributor: June Jones
• Independent Living Scheme Volunteer of the Year: Derek Harwood
• Outstanding Leader: Vincent Jennings
• Community Spirit: Mohammed Zaheer
• Supporting RBH Colleagues: Graham Hobson
• Involved Member of the Year: Lynne Brosnan
• Team of the Year: Customer Experience Service Advisors

RBH Chief Executive, Gareth Swarbrick, was then invited to choose from the eight winners for a special ‘Chief Executive’s Choice’ award, which he awarded to Derek Harwood for his sterling support for his friends and neighbours at Olive Standring House in Littleborough.

Gareth said: "There were so many fantastic nominations this year and all the winners and nominees can be truly proud.

“It was a very tough choice to decide on an overall winner with so many worthy choices.

“Derek's story resonated with me, and the support that he provides for his neighbours really demonstrates the value of community."